FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Sarah Snyder
ssnyder3@umd.edu
(301) 405-8151
November 26, 2012 – College Park, MD – The University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra (UMSO) will perform a rich selection of pieces on Saturday, December 8 at 8 p.m. with four works that represent a range of styles and eras.
The artfully-crafted program begins with an unconducted performance of Albinoni’s Concerto for Two Oboes Op. 9, which features oboists Emily Tsai and Emily Knaapen, first runners-up from the 2011 UMD Symphony Orchestra concerto competition. This piece will include choreographed movement reminiscent of UMSO’s spring 2012 performance of Debussy’s Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. Paul Moravec’s work for chamber orchestra, Brandenburg Gate, will also be performed without a conductor.
Faculty member James Ross will conduct Strauss’s Till Eulenspiegel’s Merry Pranks and the evening closes with Mendelssohn’s expansive and emotional Symphony No. 3 in A Minor (Scottish).
About UMD Symphony Orchestra
The University of Maryland Symphony Orchestra (UMSO) is one of the nation's finest collegiate orchestras, a progressive ensemble on the cutting edge of 21st century orchestral performance experience for audiences and orchestra members alike. In addition to its ongoing search for ways to vitalize the presentation of classical music in concert, UMSO is revisiting the traditional relationship between conductor and orchestra. Performing without a conductor pushes the musicians to apply the leadership and communication skills they use in chamber music to the large ensemble setting. When movement is incorporated, the musicians must embrace all of their senses. This atypical environment empowers the musician and results in performances that can transcend expectations.
About Conductor James Ross
James Ross is a musician of international repute whose musical activities include conducting, horn playing and teaching. Presently, he is the Director of Orchestral Activity at the University of Maryland and newly-named Associate Director of the Conducting Program at the Juilliard School.
Tickets
More information can be found on our web site. Tickets for this performance are $25/$10 (Students/Youth), and can be purchased online or by calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787).
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The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center is supported by a grant from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency dedicated to cultivating a vibrant cultural community where the arts thrive. An agency of the Department of Business & Economic Development, the MSAC provides financial support and technical assistance to nonprofit organizations, units of government, colleges and universities for arts activities. Funding for the Maryland State Arts Council is also provided by the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Learn more about the Clarice Smith Center's donor support.